Rocky Mountains. 275 



Thinking they had strayed from the village, he ran towards 

 them to induce them to return home; but they immediately 

 fled from him, nor could his utmost speed overtake them, 

 and in a short time they eluded his sight. Returning to the 

 village, the relation of his story excited much interest, and 

 an Indian set out next day, mounted on a fleet horse, to take 

 the little strangers. On the approach of this individual to the 

 mount, he also saw the children, who ran away as before, 

 and although he endeavoured to overtake them by lashing 

 the horse into his utmost swiftness, the children left him far 

 behind. But these children are no longer to be seen, and the 

 hill once of singular efficacy in rendering the human species 

 prolific, has lost this remarkable property. A change, which 

 the magi attribute to the moral degeneracy of the pre- 

 sent generation of the Gros ventres. Thus, like many of the 

 asserted supernatural occurrences in the civilized world, 

 these are referred back, in their obscure traditions, " out of 

 harm's way." 



Lewis and Clark, however, inform us, (p. 53,) that the 

 Sioux have a belief somewhat similar, respecting a hill near 

 Whitestone river, which they fable to be at present occupied 

 by a small and dangerous race of people, about eighteen in- 

 ches high, and with remarkably large heads; who, having 

 killed three Omawhaws a few years since, have inspired all 

 the neighbouring Indians with a superstitious dread. Al- 

 though these intrepid travellers visited the haunted hill, they 

 were happy enough, to escape the vengeance of its Lillipu- 

 tian inhabitants. 



With this absurd, but somewhat poetical fable, may be 

 classed the asserted discovery of Lilliputian skeletons of men, 

 on the banks of the Merameg river, and the osteological 

 acumen of the discoverers of those relics, may derive all the 

 support which their theory is susceptible of receiving, from 

 the story of these visionary beings. 



